Macaroni drier



Feb. 13, 1923.

IVI. E. FONTANA.

MACARONI DRER.

FILED .1r/.f |922.

RDNVNR E am..

Feb. 13, 1923. 1,445,011.

1V1. E. FONTANA.

MACARONI DRIER.

FILED MAY 16,1922. 2 sHEETs--SHEET 2.

Eli-Siti l@ 'g l? oonnco oo oo o Patented Feb. 13, 1923.

MNHTE MARK E. FONTANA, 0F SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA.

MACARONI DRIER.

Application filed May 1G,

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, MARK E. FoiiI'rANA,

It is important in the drying of macaroni that it be subjected uniformly to the drying medium, and that provision be made for utilizing the humidity extracted from the more advanced product, by uniformly'transferring it to the` less advanced product, and, at the beginning 0f operation to supply humidity from an extraneous source until the first mentioned supply becomes effectiye.

These are the essential objects of my invention, although further objects liein the ,provision of novel structural features and details,l by which successive batches of the product are continuously received in the drier, carried through an extensive path therein, and successively discharged, while the heating medium, with its accumulated humidifying effect is caused to travel through the drier in a direction the reverse of the travel of the product.

To these ends, my invention consists in the novel drier which I shall hereinafter fully describe, by reference to the accompanying drawings, in which Fig. 1 is a vertical section of my drier.

Fig. 2 is a top plan View of the same.

Fig. 3 is a side elevation.

Fig. 4 is an end view, enlarged, of one of the product carrying trucks.

Fig. 5 is a side view of the same.

Fig 6 is a view of a. fragment of the car rier chain.

1 is a casing, interiorly divided by the partitions 2 into a plurality of chambers 3 successively communicating at top and bottom alternately. At the base of the first chamber, shown at the left in Fig. 1, is the entrance opening 4 and at the base of the last chamber is the discharge opening 5.

In the top 0f the casing over each pair of chambers are controllable vents G-Fig. 1, and similar vents, not shown7 maybe placed in the sides.

1922.` Seriall No. 561,466.

7 is an endless traveling carrier mounted on sprockets 8, as shown'v by the dotted lines in Fig. 1.

The carrier is so disposed as to move up in the first chamber of the casing, down in the second, up in the third and so on until* it moves down in the last chamber and thence returns in the lower part of the casing, through .the partitions., to the point of beginning, as clearly indicated inFig. 1. The carrier is, as usual with devices of this nature, composed of two spaced parallel side chains, Fig. 3, a fragment of one of which is shown in Fig. 6, and comprising successive articulated links from which, at suitable intervals, project the truck-engaging pins or studs 9.

In Figs. 4 and 5 is shown one of the trucks 10, for carrying the product. It comprises a frame having casters 11 and provided in .some cases with dowel sticksi12 over which the macaroni, indicated by 13 in Fig. 4, is hung, and in other cases merely open to contain the product in bulk, or in trays for short cuts, as indicated in Fig. 3. The special adaptation of the truck for use in the drier lies, in the provision of the bails 14` which are secured at their bases to each end of the truck and thence rise at an outward angle, as shown in Fig. 5, to their apices, which extend above and are spaced from the truck ends.

It will now be seen by reference to Fig. 1, that when a truck is pushed into the drier through the entrance opening 4, a pair of opposite pins 9 of the carrier chains 7 will rise up beside each end of the truck, and, engaging the apices of the outwardly inclined bails 14 will pick up the truck and carry it up in the first chamber and down in the second chamber and so on until finally said truck is deposited upon the ioor of the last chamber in ,registry with the discharge opening 5. Thereupon the pins- 9 of the carrier chains lower away from thetruck bailsvand proceed on their return course.

Thussuccessive trucks are carried through the drier.

Associated with the discharge opening 5 of the drier is an endless traveling chain 15 with pins 16 which engage behind the truck and push it out through the opening.

The drying medium is preferably heated air. Referring particularly to Fig. 2-17 is the air intake, provided with heating coils 18, and connnunicating with a blower 19 which delivers through its discharge pipe 19 the heated air into the lower portion of the last chamber of the drier casing--Fig 1. The course of the air, as indicated bythe arrows in Fig. 1, isl the reverse of the course of travel of the product trucks, and thus not only is'the product exposed to a uniform drying heat. but also the moisture extracted is carried backward through all the chambers, thus beneficially affecting the advancing product. To assist the drying air in its course. there is placed a second blower 20 (F ig. 2) the suction pipe 20 of which leads from one of the intermediate chambers 3, and its discharge pipe 20 leads into ther next chamber, as shown in Fig. 1.

A humidifying element from an extraneous source, is also supplied at this point. ln practice, I prefer steam for this purpose, and to supply it to the intermediate blo-Wer 20, there is a steam pipe connection shown at 22 in Fig. 2; This second blower, which may be termed a booster not only serves to assist the fiow of the drying medium, but also provides opportunity for introducing a humidifying effect from an extraneous source, which is of advantage when the drier is first put in ope-ration, and until the operation has proceeded far enough t0 utilize the moisture taken from the product, at which time the extraneous moisture may be shut off. y

In Fig. 2, is indicated the driving mechanism, comprising a motor 23 with transmission ccnnection'24 to a shaft 25. As-

sociated with this shaft is a speed reducing element 26, and bevel gear transmissions at 27 to drive the sprocket shafts 28.

1n Fig. 1 is indicated at 29 the transmission to drive the push out chain 15.

I claim 1. A. drier comprising a casing interiorly divided into a plurality of chambers successively communicating at opposite ends,l

the first of said chambers having an entrance opening and the last of said chambers having a discharge opening; an endless traveling carrier within said casing, having a course through said chambers from said entrance opening to said discharge opening and return; receptacles fo-r the product to 4be dried, adapted to be entered into the first chamber for assisting the flow of the drying medium.

2. A drier comprising a casing interiorly divided into a plurality of chambers successively communicating at opposite ends, the first of said chambers having an entrance opening and the last of said chambers having a discharge opening; an endless traveling carrier within said casing, having a course through said chambers from said entrance opening to said discharge opening and return; receptacles for the product to be dried, adapted to be entered into the first chamber and delivered from the last chamber through their respective openings; interengaging elements on said traveling carrier and said product receptacles adapted to `ick up said receptacles and transfer them hrough the chambers; means associated with the last chamberV for forcing a drying medium through the chambers in a direction opposite to the direction of travel of the product receptacles; and means intermediate said first and last chambers for supplying a humidifying medium from an extraneous source.

3. A drier comprising a casing interiorly divided into a plurality of chambers successively communicating at opposite ends, the first of said chambers having an entrance opening and the last of said chambers having a discharge opening; an endless traveling carrier within said casing, having a course through said chambers from said entrance opening to said discharge opening and return; receptacles for theproduct to be dried. adapted to be entered into the first chamber and delivered from the last chamber through their respective openings; interengaging elements on said travelin carrier and said product receptacles a apted to pick up said receptacles and transfer them through the chambers; means associated with the last chamber for forcing a drying medium through the chambers in a direction opposite to the direction of travel of the product receptacles; auxiliary means associated with an intermediate chamber for assisting the flow of the drying medium; and means in connection with said auxiliary means for supplying a humidifying medium from an extraneous source.

4. A drier comprising a casing interiorly divided into a plurality of chambers successively communicating at opposite ends, the first of said chambers having an entrance opening and the last of said chambers having a discharge opening; an endlessl traveling carrier within said casing. having a course through said chambers from said entrance opening to said discharge opening and return, said carrier having projecting pins at intervals; receptacles for the product to be dried. adapted to be entered into the first chamber and delivered from the last chamber through their respective openings, said receptacles having supporting bails outwardly inclined, to adapt them for the au- -t tomatic engagement and release of the pins of the traveling carrier, whereby said receptacles are picked up, advanced and released; means associated with said last chamber for forcing a current of drying medium through the chambers in a direction the reverse of the travel of the receptacles; and auxiliary means associated with an intermediate chamber to assistthe flow of the drying medium.

5. A drier comprising a casing interiorly divided into a plurality of chambers successively communicating at opposite ends, the first of said chambers having an entrance opening and the last of said chambers having a discharge opening; an endless traveling carrier within said casing, having a course through said chambers from said entrance opening to said discharge opening and return', said carrier having projecting pins at intervals; receptacles for the product to be dried, adapted to be entered into the first chamber and delivered from the last chamber through their respective openings, said receptacles havin supporting bails outwardly inclined, to adapt them for the automatic engagement and release of the pins of the traveling carrier, whereby said receptacles are picked up, advanced and released; means associated with said last chamber for forcing a current of drying medium through the chambers in a direction the reverse of the travel of the receptacles; auxiliary means associated with an intermediate chamber to assist the flow of the drying medium; and means associated with said auxiliary means for supplying a humidifying medium from an extraneous source.

6. A drier comprising a casing interiorly divided into a plurality of vertically disposed chambers successively communicating above and below, the first of said chambers having an entrance opening and the last of said chambers having a discharge opening; an endless traveling carrier within said casing having a course through said chambers from said entrance opening to said discharge opening andvreturn, said carrier having side projecting pins at intervals; receptacles for the product to be dried, adapted to be entered into the first chamber and delivered from the last chamber through their respective openings, said receptacles having supporting bails secured to their ends and outwardly inclined therefrom, to adapt them for the automatic engagement and release of the pins of the traveling carrier, whereby said receptacles are picked up at the entrance of the first chamber, advanced through all the chambers and released in the base of the last chamber; a traveling carrier associated with the base of the last chamber adapted to engage the released receptacles and convey them out through the discharge opening; and means for supplying a drying medium to said casing.

in testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification.

MARK E. FONTANA. 

